Tigers Shortstop Trey Sweeney to Miss Rest of Season After Surgery

The 26-year-old will now be on the shelf until 2027.

Sep 23, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Detroit Tigers shortstop Trey Sweeney (27) throws to first in the third inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images | David Richard-Imagn Images

The Detroit Tigers have not had the best year so far this season after being one game away from the American League Championship Series just a year ago. The Tigers currently sit with a record of 25-38 and fourth place in the American League Central after recently sweeping the Tampa Bay Rays.

But the Tigers were hit with some bad news before their series with the Seattle Mariners as manager AJ Hinch announced that shortstop Trey Sweeney will miss the remainder of the season. Sweeney underwent shoulder surgery and his duties will be occupied by Zack Short for the time being.

The Detroit Free Press was among the outlets to report the news.

Detroit Tigers shortstop Zack Short (15) runs onto the field for first inning against Cleveland Guardians at Comerica Park in Detroit on Thursday, May 21, 2026. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Sweeney has not seen game action since September 28 against the Boston Red Sox towards the end of the 2025 regular season. Sweeney finished the 2025 season .196/.258/.291 which is good for an OPS of .548.

Sweeney did not exactly jump off the page on the statsheet in the 2025 season and now he is going to miss the rest of the 2026 season following surgery. Short has an opportunity to run away with the shortstop position if he can find a way to put the ball in play more often and put up some numbers.

Short currently is batting .172/.333/.241 which is good for an OPS of .575. Those numbers also do not jump off of the page ever since he has been in place of Sweeney as the season has gone on.

The Tigers should give Short every chance he can to claim the shortstop position this season. But if he does not do anything of substance that helps him be the clear cut favorite going into next season, management would have to look elsewhere to fill that spot.

What if Short Doesn't Stick at Shortstop?

Superstar prospect Kevin McGonigle plays multiple positions on the diamond for the Tigers. The nights that Short is in the lineup, McGonigle is usually at third base. But the nights that Short sits, McGonigle is usually at shortstop.

If Hinch does not see enough offensively from Short when it comes to him playing shortstop, then the easy choice should be for McGonigle to be the everyday shortstop. McGonigle is more than good enough offensively to produce at shortstop if that is the option Hinch goes with.

But if Short produces offensively, then the choice should be easy for Hinch. This is Short's oppourtunity to prove to Tigers brass that he belongs, it is just a matter of time before the decision is to be made.